Library and Archives Canada Wallot-Sylvestre Seminar 2018

Archives Matter

Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper, The National Archives UK

25 September 2018 Catalogue ref: MEPO 31/21. Archives inspire rights: ‘Black Power’ demonstration, London, 1970 ARCHIVES UNLOCKED DELIVERING THE VISION Archives Revealed is a new funding programme from The National Archives and The Pilgrim Trust to support the cataloguing of archive collections. The programme will transform access to archives for a wide range of users, enabling more people to engage with the UK’s rich documentary heritage. DIGITAL IS DIFFERENT Archives provide value to society by keeping records and by providing access to them. Fundamentally, digital archives provide value the same way. In that context, preserve means trusted digital records are kept safe for the future so they can always be used. Contextualise means that digital records can be understood in the context of their creation and continuing use. Present means that open digital records are available and can be produced for users. Enable use means that we offer the ability for users to compute over all open digital records for research purposes as well as to enable indexing for search and discovery.

5.2 Preserve

We will widen the types of digital record we can preserve. We currently concentrate on images, document formats (for example, Word or Excel), email, videos and mixed media (including websites and tweets). We need to develop the capability to preserve structured datasets and computer code. This involves developing new capabilities for example to preserve geospatial information.

We will manage preservation risks to digital records much earlier. Through developing expert knowledge – both internally and externally – and taking practical steps like enabling earlier transfers for digital records, or advising government departments when they are developing new systems, we can counter some of the known difficulties of digital preservation. We need to develop tools such as DROID so that the digital preservation risks can be managed effectively for records we do not hold. From l-r: TNA catalogue refs – ZMAP 4/18, Hollar's Survey of the City of London 1667, and E 170/252, part of a tax hearth return taken just before the Great Fire of London, 1666 Public task and public value

Public Task

Public value

Potential public value

Public good

Merit good Thank you for listening

@UkNatArchives

@jeffddjames